Can Chinese Culture Save China's Environment? In the midst of a worsening environmental crisis, with growing constant reports of contaminated soil and water and record levels of air pollution, China's government is appealing to traditional religions for help. The country needs to construct an "ecological civilization," officials say, and traditional culture has a key role to play. This appeal comes at a time when millions of Chinese are returning to traditional faiths that were once banned. Only 40 years ago China was convulsed by a cultural revolution that defaced or destroyed temples and symbols of religious faith across the country. When investigative journalist and environmental activist Liu Jianqiang let it be known that he was becoming a Tibetan Buddhist, his friend, filmmaker Shi Lihong, was shocked. Both of them were born in the 1970s during the cultural revolution and are members of a generation of atheists. But after ten years of reporting on the environment, Liu, the respected editor of the international online journal chinadialogue, found that he was depressed, burned out and in need of spiritual support. After a year of research and travel in Tibet, he wrote a book, found a teacher, and became a Tibetan Buddhist Sinologist Martin Palmer, the executive director of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, believes the general trend toward religion in China is fueled by the desire for something more rewarding than a bigger salary and more consumer goods. Shi Lihong suspects that Liu has found a great deal more during his time in Tibet. Curious, she decides to take a film crew and visit a monastery in Qinghai province, in the mountains of southwestern China, to see if she can capture on camera what it is that inspires Liu and others to take up ancient faiths such as Buddhism—and what this could mean for them, and for China's future. For more information visit: https://globalenvironmentaljustice.com/ https://misc.docuseek2.com/gej/guides/gj-025a_guide.pdf https://gej.docuseek2.com/cart/template/guides ——————————— English and Chinese with English voice over. Presented by Face to Face Media and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Credits Co-directed by Gary Marcuse and Shi Lihong for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Featuring journalist Liu Jianqiang, Tibetan lamas Tashi Sange and Qiamei Rinpoche, conservation biologist Dr. Lu Zhi and sinologist Martin Palmer. Narrated by PBS correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro View the 20 minute video on the Pulitzer Center site http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/searching-sacred-mountain-religion-environment-gary-marcuse-shi-lihong Visit the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting http://pulitzercenter.org/religion-and-power Contact Face to Face Media www.facetofacemedia.ca This video is also available on the Face to Face Media Vimeo site https://vimeo.com/110615115